Latest News
 |
22nd March 2012 | Unprecedented early interest shouldn’t hurt supplies of CX-5, says Mazda Australia |
| MAZDA Australia is confident it has secured adequate supply of its new CX-5 petrol and diesel range, despite unprecedented levels of interest both here and overseas.
Last week Mazda Japan announced that it had taken more than 8000 orders for the car in its first month of sales – eight times the monthly target of 1000 units. |
 |
|
20th March 2012 | Diesel versions of Mazda’s chic new CX-5 compact SUV launched Down Under |
| HOT on the heels of the release of the new CX-5 petrol range last month, Mazda Australia has launched the diesel-powered line-up, which it expects to account for 30 per cent of total sales.
Like its petrol siblings, the new diesel range features a full suite of new SkyActiv engine, chassis and body technologies aimed at improving power, economy, safety and vehicle dynamics. |
|
|
27th February 2012 | Plenty of Australian guidance helped shape Mazda’s vital new CX-5 compact SUV |
| MAZDA has revealed that Australia figured decisively in the development of the CX-5 compact SUV.According to program manager Hideaki Tanaka, a Mazda Australia contingency joined others from around the globe at a product roundtable in 2009 to outline their basic requirements for the upcoming compact SUV. |
|
|
27th February 2012 | More engines for CX-5 plus a proposed ‘CX-3’ to rival Ford’s coming EcoSport |
| MAZDA is planning to massively increase its presence in the booming SUV market, with more engine variants of its CX-5 compact SUV set to be introduced over the next 18 months – and an all-new ‘CX-3’ micro-SUV also understood to be in the pipeline.The new engines will include a 2.5-litre direct-injection normally aspirated version of the SkyActiv-G four-cylinder petrol engine launched this week in 114kW/200Nm 2.0-litre guise in the CX-5, as well as the recently released Mazda3 SP20. |
|
|
27th February 2012 | Mazda moves for bigger slice of ‘compact’ SUV market with smaller CX-7 successor |
| ARGUABLY the most important Mazda in recent history will hit dealer showrooms on March 1 with class-leading efficiency, economy, diesel torque output and safety gear availability, along with leading levels of driveability, dynamics, lightness, strength and space.Kicking off from $27,800 plus on-road costs, the KE-series CX-5 is the first production Mazda to fully adopt its make-or-break SkyActiv chassis and drivetrain technologies, as well as its ‘Kodo’ design language. |
|
|
3rd February 2012 | Local large cars hit the skids as Mazda3 and SUVs take the market higher |
| MAZDA’S top-selling small car, the Mazda3, outsold all three Australian-made large sedans combined in January as the leading importer took a company record 11 per cent market share to help the overall market to edge up 4.3 per cent, official VFACTS figures show.The Mazda3 continued where it left off in 2011 by topping the new-car sales charts with 4045 sales last month, blitzing the once dominant Holden Commodore and Ford Falcon that both slipped to an historical low. |
|
|
25 January 2012 | Mazda confirms benchmark-setting fuel consumption and torque for upcoming CX-5 |
| MAZDA has confirmed its all-new CX-5 will set a fresh fuel economy benchmark of just 5.7L/100km when it joins Australia’s booming compact SUV segment late next month.The figure, which matches that of many small and even light-size passenger cars, applies to the 2.2-litre SkyActiv-D turbo-diesel version of the new CX-5, which will be available here as standard with all-wheel drive and a six-speed automatic transmission. |
|
|
5 January 2012 | Aussie large car reign ends as small cars rule the roost in 2011 sales |
| HE 15-year reign of the Holden Commodore has officially come to an end, with the imported Mazda3 eclipsing the local hero as the Australian automotive market slipped 2.7 per cent in 2011, according to official VFACTS sales figures released today.The collective Australian motor companies only just achieved another million-unit market, selling 1,008,437 cars and trucks – down 27,137 units on 2010’s 1,035,574 – as they were dragged down by a poorer than expected December when sales volumes fell 4.8 per cent on the same month last year, to 82,459 vehicles. |
|
|
6 December 2011 | Lessons from first hybrid due 2013 will see Mazda ‘improve’ on Toyota system: CEO |
| MAZDA says it will learn valuable lessons from the Hybrid Synergy Drive (HSD) system it will license from Toyota for its first hybrid model – due on sale in Japan in 2013 and likely to be based on the Mazda3 – before introducing its own superior hybrid models.In the meantime, the upstart Japanese brand remains unapologetically focused on improving the efficiency of the conventional internal combustion (IC) engine, global demand for which is expected to increase from 70 million units last year to 100 million in 2020. |
|
|
5 December 2011 | Mazda2 EV combines spirited performance with longer-range zero-emissions motoring |
| MAZDA says its first electric vehicle has exceeded the company’s zero exhaust-emissions driving range target of at least 200km before it becomes available for lease in Japan next year as a precursor to other future EVs from the Japanese brand.However, final validation testing of the Mazda2 EV, which has not been confirmed for retail sale inside or outside of Japan, is yet to be completed and Mazda will not reveal full performance or battery details for its Japanese domestic-market Demio-based vehicle for competitive reasons. |
|
|
2 December 2011 | Australia’s most popular Mazda6 body derivative set to be killed off from 2013 |
| THE most popular body derivative of Australia’s current Mazda6 range – the hatchback – is unlikely to be replaced when the next generation model family goes on sale here in 2013.Instead, apart from a larger new Mazda6 sedan previewed by the sleek Takeri concept at this week’s Tokyo motor show, Mazda has developed a smaller, more sporting new Mazda6 wagon that will fill the role of both load-lugger and sports estate. |
|
|
30 November 2011 | Mazda reveals full details and images of its sleek new Mazda6-teasing Takeri concept |
| MAZDA has provided more vital clues to the visual and mechanical make-up of its next-generation mid-size sedan by revealing full technical details and images of its striking new Takeri concept, which made its global debut today in Tokyo.The Japanese brand last week revealed details of the ground-breaking new capacitor-based regenerative braking system that is fitted to the Takeri – and by inference the redesigned 2013 Mazda6. |
|
|
30 November 2011 | Next Mazda6 to feature all of sleek Takeri concept’s advanced technologies |
| MAZDA has confirmed that all of the ground-breaking new technologies that lurk beneath the sleek Takeri concept will indeed be fitted to the next-generation Mazda6 due to emerge next year.However, while Mazda’s redesigned mid-size mainstay will grow in all directions to fulfil its role as a single global model for all markets from 2013, it is unlikely to be as large as the Takeri. |
|
|
25 October 2011 | Next-gen Mazda6 emerges in concept guise ahead of next month’s Tokyo show |
| MAZDA’S next Six will be as bold as it is efficient, if these first official images of the all-new Takeri concept are any indication.Revealed more than a month ahead of its global debut at the Tokyo motor show on November 30, Mazda describes the sleek Takeri sedan as a “next-generation mid-size sedan concept car”.That can only mean one thing: the Takeri previews the look of the all-new Mazda6 sedan due on sale globally by 2013. |
|
|
18 October 2011 | Australia set to top world sales for the new Mazda BT-50 ute at 1000 a month |
| MAZDA Australia predicts Australia will become the biggest market in the world for the all-new BT-50 workhorse, eclipsing Thailand.Australia’s biggest full-line importer says it is confident local demand for the all-new global ute that goes on sale here next month will enable its dealer network to achieve 1000 sales a month and outsell the other 167 countries in which the hauler will be sold. |
|
|
14 October 2011 | Mazda Oz confirms interest in swansong RX-8 as Japan recommits to next rotary |
| MAZDA Australia is contemplating the local release of the limited-edition RX-8 Spirit R, which was last week revealed as the final swansong for the rotary-engined four-door coupe before production ends in June 2012.Spirit R is the same name given to the last version of the two-door RX-7 coupe before it was effectively replaced by the RX-8 here in July 2003. |
|
|
29 September 2011 | Wait and see on hybrids and lightweight materials for Mazda in mass production |
| MAZDA is not rushing to bring high-tech solutions such as hybrid powertrains and carbon-fibre body panels to the mass market, mainly because of the cost to the customer, according to Mazda3 chief engineer Kenichiro Saruwatari.Instead, Mazda is pursuing greater fuel efficiency and other goals through refinement of current technologies in its co-ordinated SkyActiv engine, transmission, chassis and body programs. |
|
|
28 September 2011 | Bring on the 2011 showroom showdown, says Mazda boss |
| TOP car importer Mazda Australia is predicting a sales “bloodbath” for the remainder of 2011 as companies such as Toyota go all out to recover lost market share.Rather than shy from the battle, Mazda Australia managing director Doug Dickson said at this week’s Mazda3 facelift launch: “Bring it on.” |
|
|
27 September 2011 | Top-selling Mazda3 gets price cuts and new SkyActiv powertrain to maintain the rage |
| AUSTRALIA’S new best-selling car, the Mazda3, is set to turn up the heat on rivals with range-wide price cuts on top of a mid-life makeover that includes the Australian debut of Mazda’s fuel-saving SkyActiv drivetrain technology this month.Mazda has slashed $1000 from the price of entry to the revised Mazda3 range, chopping the Mazda3 Neo manual hatch and sedan list price to $20,330 – cheaper than the base models of main rivals such as the Toyota Corolla, Holden Cruze, Ford Focus, Mitsubishi Lancer, Hyundai Elantra and 2.0-litre Hyundai i30. |
|
|
15 September 2011 | Mazda reveals astoundingly frugal fuel consumption figures for its all-new CX-5 |
| MAZDA’S all-new CX-5 will set a new efficiency benchmark in the booming compact SUV segment when it hits Australia early next year, if the first official fuel consumption figures are any guide.Although Australia’s ADR 81/02 fuel consumption standard is slightly different, Mazda has announced that according to the European test cycle the CX-5 will consume as little as 4.5L/100km and emit less than 120g/km of CO2 in entry-level front-wheel drive diesel manual form. |
|
|
31 August 2011 | All-new CX-5 provides a tantalising taste of Mazda’s next-generation Sky model |
| ARTILLERYMEN call it ‘fire for effect’ and the same big-bang assault strategy has long been employed in the automotive industry to inflict maximum damage on the enemy by taking it by surprise with a shock-and-awe campaign designed to divert vital supplies of new customers.It is rare, therefore, that a car-maker lays almost all of its cards on the table by releasing key details of an important new model before launching its official media bombardment, and rarer still that motoring journalists are allowed to drive such a model even before its global debut. |
|
|
31 August 2011 | First all-SkyActiv model shows the potential that lurks beneath Mazda’s all-new CX-5 |
| AS MAZDA’S first all-SkyActiv model, the 2012 CX-5 not only represents Mazda’s first bona fide compact SUV entrant but provides a fascinating insight into the next generation of Mazda models for at least the next decade.The next model to combine the Japanese brand’s Sky body and chassis, albeit with a 75mm-longer wheelbase than the CX-5 compact SUV’s, with the full complement of Sky engines and transmissions is the 2013 Mazda6 due to appear late next year. |
|
|
23 August 2011 | Ground-breaking SkyActiv chassis tech may not underpin Mazda2 |
| AUSTRALIA’S first taste of Mazda’s break-through SkyActiv engine technology will come in the form of the facelifted, 2.0-litre SkyActiv-G petrol-engined Mazda3 SP20 in October, before the company’s first 100 per cent Sky model – the all-new CX-5 compact SUV – arrives here next year, but Mazda’s entire passenger car range will not become an all-Sky affair until 2017 at the earliest.After the 2012 CX-5, the next model to combine Mazda’s lighter and more rigid new SkyActiv chassis with a full range of SkyActiv petrol and diesel engines – and the brand’s fresh Kodo design language – will be the redesigned Mazda6 mid-sizer, which should appear late next year before going on sale in Australia in 2013. |
|
|
8 August 2011 | Production of facelifted, Sky powertrain-equipped Mazda3 commences in Japan |
| MAZDA has started production of the replacement for Australia’s top-selling small car ahead of the facelifted Mazda3’s release in Australia late next month.The Mazda3’s midlife makeover was first revealed in Canada in February before it made its local debut at last month’s Melbourne motor show, when Mazda Australia confirmed the company’s all-new 2.0-litre SkyActiv-G direct-injection petrol engine will power only a new SP20 variant within Australia’s facelifted Mazda3 range here this year. |
|
|
2 August 2011 | CX-5 stays true to Minagi SUV concept as Mazda shows its first all-SkyActiv model |
| MAZDA has laid bare its all-new CX-5, confirming the completely redesigned compact crossoverwill remain faithful to the muscular Minagi concept when it replaces the CX-7 in Australia within a year.Seen here for the first time inside and out more than a month before its global debut at the Frankfurt motor show on September 13, the production CX-5 lacks the Minagi show car’s futuristic wing mirrors and door-handles, and its striking face’s full-width chrome spear. |
|
|
7 June 2011 | Mazda reveals Freestyle Cab version of next BT-50 ahead of world debut in Melbourne |
| NO, IT may not be as exciting as a new Mazda6 or hybrid-powered RX-8 sportscar replacement, but Mazda will nevertheless stage at least one world debut at the 2011 Australian International Motor Show in Melbourne on July 1 in the form of the new BT-50 Freestyle Cab.Mazda’s second global premiere to be hosted in Australia in little more than eight months, following the world debut of the next-generation BT-50 Dual Cab at the 2010 AIMS in Sydney last October, highlights Australia’s expected position as the planet’s largest market for the new BT and one of the world’s top four destinations for one-tonne utilities. |
|
|
19 May 2011 | Australia waits as Mazda confirms hybrid-like economy for 1.3-litre SkyActiv Mazda2 |
| MAZDA has taken the wraps off an ultra-economical 1.3-litre version of its ground-breaking SkyActiv direct-injection four-cylinder engine family ahead of its debut in the Mazda2 light car in Japan in coming weeks.As it has done in relation to ‘Sky’ technology due in the upgraded Mazda3 later this year – including a 2.0-litre SkyActiv-G petrol engine – Mazda Australia this week said it was unable to confirm exact timing or other specific details for our market. |
|
|
18 April 2011 | CX-5 nameplate confirmed for production version of Mazda’s Minagi concept |
| MAZDA has surprised nobody by officially confirming its striking Minagi concept will wear the CX-5 nameplate when it goes on sale globally, including in Australia, next year.The first production model to be styled under Mazda’s new ‘Kodo’ design language, as previewed by last year’s sleek Shinari sportscar concept, the Minagi made its world premiere at Geneva last month and will make its North American debut at the New York show on April 20. |
|
|
11 April 2011 | Fast-start king Mazda triples first-quarter sales in a decade to edge out Ford |
| LEADING importer Mazda has tripled its first-quarter vehicle sales in a decade, not only outpacing its fellow fast-growing importers but, in 2011, local manufacturer Ford as well.Year to date, Mazda Australia has sold 22,883 vehicles – 170 more than its one-time parent company Ford. |
|
|
3 March 2011 | Minagi concept to evolve into all-new ’12 Mazda CX-5 at expense of larger CX-7 |
| MAZDA’S Minagi compact SUV concept revealed at the Geneva motor show this week is likely to spell the end of the popular CX-7 in the Japanese manufacturer’s crossover vehicle range.To be renamed CX-5 when it goes into production late this year ahead of an early-2012 rollout in Australia, the Toyota RAV4-sized SUV will become the Japanese brand’s new SUV range opener and the first of its new-generation products to embrace the complete range of SkyActiv technologies. |
|
|
15 February 2011 | Top-selling Mazda small car to debut SkyActiv engines and transmissions |
| MAZDA has confirmed that its ground-breaking new SkyActiv engine and transmission fuel-saving technology will debut in its facelifted Mazda3 later this year.The rollout will gather pace from 2012 with the arrival of the SkyActiv CX-7 replacement, which will debut at next month’s Geneva motor show as the Minagi Concept, as well as the third-generation midsized Mazda6. |
|
|
15 February 2011 | Smaller CX-7 replacement and diesel CX-9 are on the cards |
| MAZDA’S new-generation powertrain, chassis and body technology collectively known as Sky Activ might be one of its largest, expensive and most time-consuming undertakings in the company’s 80-year history, but it also has given rise to new opportunities in established vehicle classes.Every model in Mazda’s artillery will undergo revolutionary changes to make the Japanese brand more competitive globally, from a new suspension system mooted for the diminutive Mazda2 to a rethink for the largest SUV. |
|
|
25 January 2011 | Japanese fleets set to give Mazda’s first EV a workout in quest for data |
| MAZDA is set to dip its toe in the electric vehicle arena in Japan with its first all-electric vehicle (EV) based on the Mazda2 (known in Japan as the Demio).The vehicle will be trialled by local government and corporate fleets to give Mazda an insight into EV use in the real world as it looks beyond its latest SkyActiv internal combustion drivetrains and weight-saving technologies. |
|
|
19 January 2011 | ‘CX-5’ hint in Minagi concept as Mazda gets set for change of SUV style |
| MAZDA is preparing to whip the covers from a new compact SUV that could point the way to a new sub-CX-7 crossover vehicle.Called the Minagi, the concept has been revealed in two renderings released in Japan ahead of the car’s unveiling at the Geneva motor show on March 1. |
|
|
13 December 2010 | Idle-stop technology set for Australia from 2011 |
| MAZDA has begun testing its idle-stop technology in Australia with a view to introducing it here next year.GoAuto expects the system will be introduced in the Mazda2 as part of the company’s ‘SkyActiv’ program, which includes an all-new direct-injection engine and automatic transmission aimed at improving economy by 30 per cent globally by 2015 |
|
|
27 October 2010 | Mazda Serves Best*Japanese brands top JD Power’s first vehicle service survey in Australia*Source: JD Power Asia Pacific. CSI ranking based on 1000-point scale. Included in study but not ranked due to small sample size are: Audi, BMW, Citroen, Chrysler, Jaguar, Jeep, Land Rover, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Peugeot, Renault, Saab and Volvo. |
| MAZDA has emerged as the standout performer in the first survey of aftersales customer service satisfaction conducted in Australia by respected global marketing information company JD Power.The booming Japanese brand was the only vehicle brand to score more than 800 out of a maximum 1000 points in JD Power’s inaugural Australian vehicle service satisfaction survey.Mazda (806 points), Toyota (800), Honda (798) and Subaru (790) were the only brands to place above the industry average of 786 points. |
|
|
25 October 2010 | Greater efficiency and new wheels for Mazda CX-9, at no extra cost |
| MAZDA has again lowered the fuel consumption – but not the prices – of its seven-seat CX-9 crossover, which also scores new wheels for 2011.A year after the 2010 CX-9 arrived with a thirst cut from 13 to 12.2 litres per 100km, another updated CX-9 is now in showrooms with an upgraded 3.7-litre petrol V6 that is a further 0.9L/100km more fuel efficient. |
|
|
21 October 2010 | Hybrid-matching fuel consumption confirmed for Mazda2 next year |
| LAST week Mazda all but confirmed its new 2.2-litre twin-turbo clean-diesel engine and six-speed automatic transmission combination will return fuel consumption of just 4.2L/100km when it debuts in the lighter next-generation Mazda6 mid-sizer in Australia in 2012.Yesterday, Mazda went one better by announcing the first member of its new direct-injection petrol engine family will be as efficient as 3.3L/100km in Japan “without any assistance from an electric motor” when it appears in the domestic-market Demio (known here as the Mazda2) in the first half of next year. |
|
|
19 October 2010 | Mazda commits to next-generation rotary in preparation for hydrogen society |
| MAZDA has re-affirmed its commitment to the brand’s trademark rotary engine technology, this time for personal reasons from the very top.Speaking in Sydney the day before Mazda’s all-new BT-50 utility made its global debut at the Australian International Motor Show on Friday, Mazda Motor Corporation president and CEO Takashi Yamanouchi said the rotary engine was one of the driving reasons he joined the resurgent Japanese car-maker 43 years ago. |
|
|
15 October 2010 | Cracking new Mazda BT-50 one-tonner makes its world debut in Sydney |
| MAZDA has lifted the veil of secrecy from its stunning new BT-50 utility, which appears to blend one-tonne load capacity and off-road capability with passenger car-like style and comfort like no other Japanese-brand ute before it.Making its global debut this morning alongside its mechanical twin, the redesigned Ford Ranger, the all-new BT-50 was designed and developed in Australia, which will be its single biggest market worldwide.
Mazda’s next-generation workhorse will go into production alongside the new Ranger in the same Thailand factory as before from June 2011, before going on sale here later next year. |
|
|
15 October 2010 | Mazda stages Oz debut of Sky powertrains that will return 4.2L/100km in next Six |
| NOT content with staging the world debut of its next-generation BT-50 one-tonner in Sydney today, Mazda also announced that a “future mid-sized model” will return average fuel consumption of just 4.2L/100km and CO2 emissions of only 112g/km.Mazda also revealed a new global sales target of 1.7 million annual sales by 2016, an increase of 500,000 units over last year. |
|
|
